Thread Number: 30813
/ Tag: Brand New Vacuum Cleaners
Rainbow E2 Black Teardown and Restoration |
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Post# 341026   1/9/2016 at 20:26 (3,000 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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Hello Vacuumlanders.
Here are some albums of my current daily driver: my Rainbow E-2B. I got it for a pretty good deal. I bought it sight unseen - I played some hardball to get a good deal. However, as the saying goes... It needed some work. Lol. I used to be a vacuum cleaner repairman I did it full time, when people would ask me what's wrong with the Rainbow, I'd always say "The biggest problem with the rainbows are their owners." I'm sure anyone here who is also a rainbow owner takes reasonable care of their Rainbow, i.e. Doesn't vacuum a 7000 sq foot house w/ 5 dogs on one 2qt pan of water w/o changing it, cleaning the separator, not switching from vacuuming to Aquamate and back to vacuuming w/o drying out the hose, etc. we know better. My time repairing vacuum cleaners taught me that for some odd reason most John Q's don't take care of their rainbows. Either they don't know how, or my favorite excuses " But I have kids!!" " But I have dogs, cats, reindeer etc" whatever - I never quite understood it. Never understood why someone would pay 2 grand for a rainbow and then let it go to rot and ruin. They can be work. I won't argue that, but I've found the results to be well worth it. But I digress, I bought my Rainbow from a "non collector" I guess. This Rainbow was one of the worst I had ever seen. It was all funked up with god only knows what. I gave this thing a proper teardown and a good scrubbing with Clorox outdoor bleach spray, Lysol disinfectant and Dawn detergent. While I had it apart I thought of take some pictures of it: before, during and after. I also took some pictures of its "guts" for lack of a better word, for anyone who wanted to see what the E2B looks like torn down. Here are some albums... Enjoy :) , Derek |
Post# 341027 , Reply# 1   1/9/2016 at 20:29 (3,000 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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Post# 341030 , Reply# 2   1/9/2016 at 20:43 (3,000 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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Post# 341031 , Reply# 3   1/9/2016 at 20:51 (3,000 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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I took some "Beauty Shots" of the HEPA filter. The filter is Washable, I took one look at it and was like "the hell with it!" the filter went straight into the trash.
I cleaned this Rainbow out and it is as good as new. It is sitting on my side table happily humming in low speed, purifying the air. I wound up replacing both fans, the roller brush, some attachments added a 4 qt water pan etc. Pretty much everything but the wiring got soaked in detergent and bleach before it got put back together. I'll post some pics later of the Aquamate project. |
Post# 341041 , Reply# 5   1/10/2016 at 06:47 (3,000 days old) by Miskini (Northville, Michigan )   |   | |
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Post# 341165 , Reply# 7   1/12/2016 at 00:48 (2,998 days old) by Stricklybojack (Southern California)   |   | |
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Great work Derek. I love it when people take the time to document their vacuum rehabs. I haven't had time to complete one in a while but have found the time to add a 1/2 dozen more vacs to the hoard! The more recent Rainbows are fairly hard to find for me, at a decent price anyway, compared to peers like Kirby, and Filter Queen or Tristar. Where did you find it? If you don't mind sharing, what is your total $ investment at this point, machine and parts? Thx |
Post# 342446 , Reply# 9   1/30/2016 at 19:32 (2,979 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)   |   | |
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Did U get the RainJet or MiniJet yet?
Once U use a Rainbow, its hard to go back to a ordinary vacuum that uses bags/filters
Ever since I got a SE, my Compacts & Luxes have been restricted to quick use status |
Post# 342702 , Reply# 10   2/2/2016 at 15:54 (2,977 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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Hi Kirbysthebest, The Chrome domes are pretty good machines. They are remarkably quiet when they are well maintained. How long have you had your Omega? Did you get it new?
Thanks Miskini. They do come up on CL from time to time, but they go quick. Hope you find one. It took me a while for me to find this one. Thank you Stricklybojack, I wish I could have done some vids of it, but that would have been too hard- having only one hand free to repair while the other holds the camera-lol. To answer your question, I think I have about a grand and some change into it. Which will keep growing as I accumulate more and more accessories- haha. |
Post# 342707 , Reply# 11   2/2/2016 at 16:33 (2,977 days old) by Kirbysthebest (Midwest)   |   | |
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Yes, it was bought new 5/30/1975.
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Post# 342708 , Reply# 12   2/2/2016 at 16:34 (2,977 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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Hi Floor-a-matic,
How did you manage to score a brand new Onyx as an Xmas gift?? That's one hell of a present! I'm jealous. As far as the HEPA on mine went- God only knows what the prior owner vacuumed up in it. As far as I'm concerned, pets and vacuums shouldn't mix. I think that many years ago someone in a marketing department circa 1920 ish, got the idea to remove the letter S from the word PEST and call them PET instead. But I digress.. that's my $0.02 It was quite a job to get my Rainbow up to my standards of clean, lots of soaking, bleaching, cleaning and elbow grease. I threw the HEPA out and bought a new one- I wasn't even going to bother with that. No I don't have the Rainjet, Mini Jet or Supermop...Yet. I bought a 4 qt pan, a new hard, blue bristle brush-roller (say that 3 times fast) new attachments to replace a couple that were missing and a few other odds and ends. I just ordered the 14' electric hose and a second set of fans. I have the Aqua-mate, but I haven't used it yet other than a quick test after I took it apart and cleaned it. I have a feeling that I will be adding to my Rainbow cleaning arsenal over the next year. I really want to get the Rainbow storage rack. I wish I could order new Rainbow Boxes for it. How are you liking your new OYNX? How does the red light by the hose work? Is it a Pilot light (like on the d4- E2 series Powernozzles)? or is it for diagnostics? Would like to see some photos of your Rainbow - bet we all would. I am going to change out the fans in mine (again) I think I'm going to make a video of it when I do. |
Post# 342754 , Reply# 14   2/3/2016 at 09:27 (2,976 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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Post# 342763 , Reply# 16   2/3/2016 at 10:51 (2,976 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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Hi Fred,
I saw your restoration of your D4SE post. That is a beautiful restoration. I got the idea of putting vacuum parts in the dishwasher from that post. I redid a 2001 E Series Single Speed using that technique (I'll post the photos of that when I find them). With your E-Series, I'd recommend upgrading your wands and hose end to stainless steel. I did that with my other rainbow. The old chrome plated steel wands get nasty if any liquids are sucked up in them. Stainless wands are easier to clean and are more forgiving. The E-Series power nozzles come up on eBay fairly often, personally I'd put a Wessel-Werk PN on a Single Speed E-Series. I think that would be an ideal cleaning combination. As far as the fans go on my Onyx E-2, Here's the Reader's Digest version: I ordered several replacement parts for my Rainbow and I ordered a set of fans. I made a note asking them to pack the fans carefully because it takes nothing for the delicate aluminum fans to get bent - which causes them to get out of balance. My experiences with canister vacuum fans is when they get out of balance, there is nothing that can be done to get them right again- I throw them out and start over with a new set. Here's what happened when I got the fans... the people I ordered them from did take extra care in packing them. They sandwiched them in between several layers of cardboard and wrapped them up in shrink wrap. When I unwrapped the fans I noticed that they had scratches on them - shelf wear. They are better than the fouled up fans that were in my Rainbow before, but they have that harmonic HMMMMMMMMMMM sound that unbalanced fans make. One of my pet peeves. I think that the people I bought them from went above and beyond to make sure the fans were carefully packed. However, it takes next to nothing to bend those aluminum fans. I think that a combination of shelf wear and the pressure from the shrink wrap bent them. I didn't want to return them because I think they tried their best to pack them carefully. So I called a dealer and explained fan situation and ordered another set of fans and I ordered the 14' hose. To be honest, I think the fans on my model are almost paper thin. They are very similar to Lamb fans. I hate them both equally. So delicate they almost have to be handled like a Faberge egg. I should have it running the way I want it to by the end of the week. I am really picky and have a sharp ear for sounds. One of my "isms" I guess. |
Post# 342876 , Reply# 18   2/5/2016 at 09:32 (2,974 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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You're awesome...haha
God that looked terrible before you got your hands on it, and that's the latest generation bow!! Lucky! My gold 2 speed was bought in 2006 and I've changed the hepa ONCE! I tore it apart after five years and it had very little dirt on it, and then I saw that hepa....My God, and those fans and that separator...There is NO way I would be brave enough to take mine apart, so I've always been a respectful rainbow owner with only ME using it the way it is supposed to be used, and over the years I've read on forums how the rainbows are filthy machines from vac store owners that post......yes, they are filthy because of the people using them, that's why they are IN THE VAC SHOP to begin with - so of course they are gonna be filthy, so they conclude rainbows leak dust dirt and cake onto fans and hepa but this is only the case if you treat your machine like crap... I mean, I've even used my rainbow a lot to suck the bin out of my shark vacuum that I use for quick run through's - you can't get much dirtier than sucking a bagless bag bin full of crap into a rainbow.....and yet, the separator remained clean, but I wash it anyway - the dirt collects very slowly on that separator if you keep the water changed.....the separator still needs to be cleaned though. I'm overkill when it comes to cleaning mine, I clean it every single time I use my Rainbow. |
Post# 342884 , Reply# 19   2/5/2016 at 11:22 (2,974 days old) by HooverCelebrity (Germany)   |   | |
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Makes sense on why you want to replace the fans again! I would do the exact same thing, lol.
Keep us posted - congrats again on finding such an awesome machine!
-Fred |
Post# 342887 , Reply# 20   2/5/2016 at 13:26 (2,974 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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Post# 342890 , Reply# 21   2/5/2016 at 13:55 (2,974 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)   |   | |
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Makes me wonder how long it'll be until I need to check the fans on my Rainbow; I bet it'll still be clean as new |
Post# 342905 , Reply# 22   2/5/2016 at 16:37 (2,974 days old) by Marks_here (_._)   |   | |
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On my newly aquired black onyx addition I did the same thing, tore it all apart but nothing was found on the fans, I must have lucked out on this one but on my gold 2speed that's where I had that issue that almost killed me so on this one I was prepared! I do like the newer power head with the side belt but I doubt I'll ever use the Rainjet because I have real wood floors & don't want to take the polish off.
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Post# 342925 , Reply# 23   2/5/2016 at 18:59 (2,973 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)   |   | |
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U can use the soft sponge attachment for your RainJet; its softer than the bristles so it won't damage wood floors |
Post# 342945 , Reply# 24   2/5/2016 at 23:32 (2,973 days old) by Marks_here (_._)   |   | |
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On the directions of the Rainjet Page 5 it says it will take the shine off the wood floor. I don't want to take that chance so it will be kept in the box it came with. These floors don't even get a swiffer but they are fun the slide on with socks on that's how shiny they are & people can't figure out why their floors need constant maintenace on them.
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Post# 344133 , Reply# 25   2/15/2016 at 12:50 (2,964 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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The fans and my 14' hose arrived!
I really like the extended hose. The fans on the other hand: BENT!! I found out after going through the replacement process, my machine sounded worse than it did before! I was so mad. Here is what I learned with that project: Don't bother with the fans. If they are bent or caked with S*&t, replace the "pump". The fans are way too delicate to get shipped. On that note I think it is a stupid design to have a brass nut sit directly atop the "Faberge Egg Fragile" aluminum fan without a washer. I fixed the issue by using one of the original fans and the best of my prior replacement fans. It sounds pretty good. Long story short: Don't monkey with them! Save yourself the headache and just replace the pump. That's what I should have done in the first place. These fans are worse than Lamb Fans- not worth the headache. I also got a mini powernozzle aka Rainbowmate. It is smaller than its predecessor. It has a smooth belt instead of the geared belt. It bogged down on my sofa. I am able to completely jam it by putting my fingers in it (Don't try this at home kids!) I like the direct connect but the smaller cleaning path and flat belt are nothing to write home about. IMOP this could use some improvement. My Rainbowmate on my 2003 E-2 Series is bigger and has a cogged belt. It will tackle and task I've thrown at it. Including deep cleaning my large, overstuffed sofa. I'll post pics of the two later. |
Post# 344135 , Reply# 26   2/15/2016 at 12:55 (2,964 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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P.S.
I don't mean to scare anyone off. If your Rainbow is properly maintained, or even reasonably maintained- You'll never have this problem. My 2003 E-series was clean enough to eat out of when I got it. My E2-Onyx is food grade clean after the clean out I gave it. I think the Rainbow is a great machine. E2B is not as forgiving to work on as E2 Single speed but Still no regrets. |
Post# 344153 , Reply# 27   2/15/2016 at 14:38 (2,964 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 344169 , Reply# 28   2/15/2016 at 15:45 (2,964 days old) by Durango159 (State College, PA)   |   | |
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Post# 344175 , Reply# 29   2/15/2016 at 16:00 (2,964 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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40511.
Same here. Nobody borrows my Rainbow at anytime. Ever. I once loaned a mint condition Eureka 1400 upright to a customer to use while I fixed her vacuum. When I picked it up a week later, it looked like it had been in a demolition derby! scratches, a dent, the machine stunk something awful. Lesson learned. No one borrows my vacuum cleaners, especially my Rainbows. |
Post# 344213 , Reply# 30   2/15/2016 at 21:49 (2,963 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)   |   | |
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I use my Wessel Werk HEB160 instead of the RainbowMate |
Post# 344237 , Reply# 33   2/16/2016 at 05:39 (2,963 days old) by vacerator (Macomb Michigan)   |   | |
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The can slow down when they clean house. My own step daughter included. I realize some have little ones to look after, but they manage not to beat them up, usually. |
Post# 344277 , Reply# 34   2/16/2016 at 14:23 (2,963 days old) by reo580 (Holland, Michigan)   |   | |
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@ tolivac:
The motor assy is referred to as a "pump" in Rexair literature I have seen. Balancing notches in the fans? This is new to me. Tell me more about it, I'm curious. I have replaced countless fans in Lamb motors (FQ, Compact Royal pony etc) and Rainbow single speeds ( B through E2) and never had any problems like this before. In this rainbow the fans were so funked up with layers of caked dust, I thought it best to replace them- they were loud. I handled these with great care. I am curious to hear more about balancing notches.... I'm all about learning a newer, better way to do something. Get back to me on that. Thanks again, Derek. |
Post# 344299 , Reply# 35   2/16/2016 at 18:05 (2,962 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)   |   | |
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Do U buy Rainbow parts thru RainVac.com or your nearest Rainbow distributor?
I cleaned up the blue E2 that my dad used to own & now it smells like new; gone away are the dirt (mostly nicotine from the air) & cigarette odor |
Post# 344432 , Reply# 40   2/17/2016 at 16:40 (2,962 days old) by Marks_here (_._)   |   | |
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Post# 344673 , Reply# 42   2/20/2016 at 04:15 (2,959 days old) by vacerator (Macomb Michigan)   |   | |
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True tolivac. Timken bearings were also very good. Remember oilite bearings? They secreted oil as they became warmer. Whirlpool used them on the spin tubes in the old wig wag clutch style belt drive washing machines. |
Post# 344689 , Reply# 43   2/20/2016 at 06:41 (2,959 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)   |   | |
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Yes,remember those bearings-The oilite bearings can explain why a large number of WP,KN BD washers are still in use today.Better than the new dreck made today! |
Post# 345070 , Reply# 50   2/23/2016 at 06:30 (2,956 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)   |   | |
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Yes,don't like the Big Box store "electrolux" machines except the Sanitaire uprights.The uprights are actually nice machines.Good performance at a lower price.And easy to maintian.Best selling commercial upright vacuum. |
Post# 345380 , Reply# 51   2/25/2016 at 17:34 (2,953 days old) by chicagomike (Plover, WI)   |   | |
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reo580 (Holland, Michigan) - how do you take the wands apart on the Black Edition? Is there a manual or anything available showing how to take the motor apart? I have taken apart the floor nozzle/shells both top and bottom but never have messed with the canister portion other than cleaning it and the seperator.
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